The Comic Con, hosted by Life Church Midland, featured area artists and comic book sellers stationed the length of the Mall. The event took place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Steven Cobb of Saginaw, a volunteer and member of Life Church, explained how the church caters to a younger crowd, and this event was geared to bring people together.

“Our preacher is a bit of a nerd. He digs Star Wars, he’s into that stuff,” Cobb said, referencing Jon Herron.

The Comic Con provided multiple opportunities for people to get involved. Kids could decorate coloring pages and pose with characters and droids from Star Wars. Adults participated in cosplay tournaments and perused vendors’ stalls. Mid-Michigan Laser Combat had a laser tag arena set up near the food court while You4ia Virtual Reality, located just a few stores down from Life Church, celebrated its grand opening.

With the doors of the church open and volunteers at the ready to welcome inquiries, the event was an opportune time for Life Church Midland to spread a message of inclusion.

“We’re a judgement free zone. Everyone is welcome. We don’t care if you have tattoos on your face. Come on in. You’ll definitely be treated with 100% respect. Everyone is genuine and kind. It’s a wonderful place to go to church,” Cobb stated.

Ian Altman of Midland came dressed as Captain America, and manned his stall selling artwork from his company, Simply Art by IJA, as well as working with Fett’s Toy Depot. He explained he heard about the event from Paul King, curator at Fett’s Toy Depo who had connections to Life Church. This was the first time Altman had participated in a comic con in his outfit.

“Everybody’s having a fun time. You can be yourself and nobody judges,” Altman said.

Norm LaBarge, of Mount Pleasant, represented Central Michigan Ghostbusters and stood in front of his own replica of Ecto-1, the Ghostbusters' automobile. LaBarge purchased the 1984 hearse last year, replaced the engine, painted it the iconic red and white complete with Ghostbuster logo and plans on adding a roof rack later this year. He has been a fan since seeing the first movie in theaters and has seen more people become interested since the latest movies; the next installment, “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” is set to be released this summer.

LaBarge heard about the Midland Comic Con on social media and reached out to Life Church asking to participate. Once approved, LaBarge reached out to other Ghostbuster coalitions across the state, inviting them to come, and members of the Grayling and Traverse City groups were able to attend the event over the course of the weekend.

“We’re always looking for new members. The only requirement is that they have a uniform and a (Ghostbusters) patch,” LaBarge said.

Life Church Midland is continually looking for ways to get involved in the community. Cobb said one of its next events is an egg drop at Dow Diamond on Easter.

“Hopefully we can do bigger things in the future,” he said.

For more information about Life Church Midland, visit lifechurchmidland.com.